BOASTING IN THE CROSS

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14, ESV).

“Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord” (Jer. 9:23, 24).

Nowhere do our “glorious” human wisdom, our riches, and our might appear more clearly in all their futility and vanity than before the Cross of Christ

^{Gal.6: 11} See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

PAUL’S OWN HAND. ^{Gal.6: 11} See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

^{2 Cor. 13: 8} For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.

^{2 Cor.13: 11} Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

^{1 Thes. 5: 14} And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

¹⁶ Rejoice always,

A TALE OF TWO CHRISTIANS. A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. 1 Cor.1: ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

^{Phil 3: 3} For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh

The Greek word Paul used for “boasting” in Galatians 6:14 is kauchao­mai, which can also be translated as “glory,” “joy,” or “rejoice.” James Strong

It is rejoicing in the consummation of compas­sion at Calvary. It is living in the Spirit and leaving our fleshly sinfulness behind (Col. 2:11). Jose Javier Perez, Collegiate Quarterly

God wants us to be humble, but He also wants us to be happy about who we are in Him (John 15:11). Jose Javier Perez, Collegiate Quarterly

BOASTING IN THE FLESH. ^{Gal.6: 13} Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.

Galatians 1: ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” 2 Tim. 3:12

CROSS CENTRAL. “GOD FORBID THAT I SHOULD BOAST EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST” Gal. 6:14

BOASTING IN THE CROSS. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”(Gal. 6:14)

For Paul, the gospel is based on two fundamental tenets: (1) the centrality of the Cross (vs. 14) and (2) the doctrine of justification (vs. 15). In today’s lesson the focus is on the former.
Jews found the idea of a crucified Messiah offensive, and Romans found crucifixion so repulsive that it was not even mentioned as a form of punishment suitable for a Roman citizen.
Dating back to the early second century, a piece of ancient graffiti depicts the crucifixion of a man with the head of a donkey. Below the cross and adjacent to a drawing of a man with his hands raised in worship, an inscription reads, “Alexander worships his god.” The point is clear: the cross of Christ is deemed ridiculous.
Rom.6:  ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin
^{Phil.3: 8} What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

1 John 2:¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

A PROMISE IN COLOR. ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.’ “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

As the sinner sees Jesus as He is, an all-compassionate Saviour, hope and assurance take possession of his soul. Ellen G. White

A NEW CREATION. Matthew 23: ²⁷ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

^{Gal. 6: 15} Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

^{2 Cor. 5: 17} Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

^{John 3: 8} The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

As Timothy George notes, it “involves the whole process of conversion: the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit leading to repentance and faith, the daily process of mortification and vivification, continual growth in holiness leading to eventual conformity to the image of Christ.”—Galatians, p. 438.

Becoming a new creature, however, is not what justifies us. This radical change is, instead, the unmistakable manifestation of what it means to be justified.

STEPPING OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT. Give God the glory in every situation. Spend time at the foot of the cross. It’s easy to get swept up in our own self-importance and achievements. Before we know it, we’ve lost per­spective… So go on, step out of the spotlight and show people what’s really worth bragging about—Christ crucified for you and me. Karen Collum, Collegiate Quarterly

 

FINAL REMARKS. ^{2 Cor.4: 10} We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

BOASTING IN THE CROSS. There’s no harm in getting heavily involved in your church. However, we need to remember that our involvement isn’t something that saves us.

Paul’s problem with the people who brought this “different gospel” was fourfold: (1) they tried to force the Galatians to be circumcised; (2) they were motivated by fear; (3) they themselves did not keep the Mosaic laws; and (4) their goal was to flaunt. Scot McKnight, Galatians, The NIV Application Commentary, 1995, p. 299

Isaiah wrote that no matter how good we feel about what we do, we’re all unclean, and our good acts are like “filthy rags” (64:6). The Cross reveals God’s love to everyone and gives us access to His redeeming grace. Adele Nash, Australia, Collegiate Quarterly

 

FURTHER STUDY. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection.
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12: 32
Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. Ellen G. White
SUMMARY. The heart must be subdued by Christ; when that happens, all else will follow.

FINDING TRUE PERSPECTIVE IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST.  Like Paul, we realize that we can glory only in the Cross. Why? Because in fixing our eyes on the Cross, we understand that our sins drove a God of grace and love to engage in the ultimate act of disgrace in order to save us… In the shadow of Jesus’ cross, we find ourselves encompassed by His love that continually transforms us.  Jean A. Kellner, CQ